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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23455069">Quiet Reunion</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonlit_Fics/pseuds/Moonlit_Fics'>Moonlit_Fics</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Agent Stone is sleep deprived, Dr Robotnik/Agent Stone implied, Implied/Referenced Torture, Post-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 14:54:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,480</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23455069</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonlit_Fics/pseuds/Moonlit_Fics</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>157 days ago, Dr. Ivo Robotnik ceased to exist. 156 days and 20 hours ago, any evidence he had existed at all had been erased. Files and reports destroyed, belongings and inventions stored away, agents who met him were more than happy to never speak of him again. </p><p>Aban Stone, however, wasn’t as easy to silence.</p><p> </p><p>Stone is forced to work from home and doesn’t really talk with many people anymore. Of course, things can’t stay normal, not for Stone.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik/Agent Stone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>87</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Quiet Reunion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>157 days ago, Dr. Ivo Robotnik ceased to exist. 156 days and 20 hours ago, any evidence he had existed at all had been erased. Files and reports destroyed, belongings and inventions stored away, agents who met him were more than happy to never speak of him again. </p><p>     Agent Aban Stone, however, wasn’t as easy to silence. With no friends or family to speak of,  the long hours at the lab alone with Robotnik led to an odd sort of attachment Stone couldn’t shake. An attachment that Stone wouldn’t pretend he didn’t have. </p><p>An attachment that was a liability. </p><p>More extreme measures had to be taken to silence Stone. </p><p>——————</p><p>Exhaustion felt like a constant. Despite the fact he was currently working from home and never really went anywhere, Stone always felt weak and tired. Maybe his lack of energy could be attributed to the fact he’d started going longer between his already sparse meals after the government forced him into silence, but it was hardly his fault. Nothing seemed to have much taste anymore, so what was the point? </p><p>He closed his laptop with a groan, unable to focus with his mind wandering relentlessly as it was. The silence of his own home was deafening, and he longed for the soft humming and buzzing of machinery he’d grown used to. </p><p>    The portable lab was still untouched, though moved to keep it from the governments hands. If Aban visited it, he was sure it’d be gutted and scrapped the next day, destroyed like anything else that could be traced to Robotnik. The very thought made Stone’s chest feel tight. </p><p>Stone set the laptop aside to charge, knowing he wouldn’t be able to finish anything today. That was fine, he didn’t really want to work with the government right now, and he knew the feeling was mutual; they only kept him working for them so they could keep an eye on him. His loyalty to them would be close to impossible to win back, and both sides knew it.</p><p>He stood from his desk, stretching momentarily before heading to his room. This wasn’t the first time he’d tried to stave off the exhaustion in his bones by sleeping during the day, and it never did really work. It didn’t matter though. Today was long, silent and lonely and he didn’t want to live through it, so unconsciousness sounded like his best bet. He laid in his bed, turning on his old electric fan. The humming noise it emitted reminded him of the lab, the comfort he needed to fall into a deep yet uneasy sleep.</p><p>——-</p><p>The sound of his front door opening was what woke Stone, and what a startling way to wake up it was. He sat up, listening as the door was closed and heavy boot steps made their way across his living area. </p><p>    Aban stood, silently making his way to his gun safe and inputting the code. As soon as it was in his hands he opened the door and crept down the hall into his living room, where the light was on. He looked around, everything seemed in place, despite the fact that when he’d gone to sleep the lights hadn’t been on. </p><p>Had they? Auditory hallucinations weren’t exactly new to him, exhaustion had a wide range of effects on people, and that was one he’d come to expect. Everything was in place, maybe he’d just forgotten to turn the light off? Was he going crazy? Pulling a gun on someone that wasn’t there.</p><p>Except, he thought, as all other thoughts ceased. Except the door was unlocked, and that was a mistake Stone would never, never make. So someone was here, then. He focused on listening again and followed the sound of cabinets opening to the kitchen. From where he stood, he could see a man shaped shadow on the ground, he leveled his gun and turned the corner, pointing it at the man who’s back was turned to him. </p><p>Him turning the safety off was what finally caught the mans attention. He froze, turning his head ever so slightly, not enough to see Stone, but enough that Stone could make out the shape of the mans jaw and outrageous facial hair.</p><p>“Stone, you half-witted moron, if you don’t drop that gun this instant,  I’m going to disassemble your molecules.” He growled, and Stone instinctively dropped it onto the counter. </p><p>Robotnik slowly turned around, and Stone knew this wasn’t a dream. He could never imagine Robotnik looking this bizarre. His hair was completely gone, and his mustache had grown bigger than Stone thought possible. Robotnik sneered at Stone threateningly.</p><p>“What are you looking at, Stone? You have something to say?” He asked sharply, and he instinctively opened his mouth to deny it, but quickly snapped it shut. Robotnik gave him an odd look, but Stone just shook his head. He motioned for Robotnik to follow him, and he did, despite grumbling under his breath. He lead him to the bathroom. </p><p>  Stone rifled through his drawers, pulling out the clippers and shavers he used to keep his facial hair looking presentable and dropped them on the counter next to the doctor.  He left for a minute, coming back with clothes for the doctor to borrow. He gestured towards the shower, and looked at him expectantly.</p><p>Robotnik was quick to take up the implied offer, pushing Stone out. </p><p>“Agent Stone, I’ll be commandeering your bathroom. I won’t be long” he called as if it were his idea, locking the door in Stone’s face. Alright then. </p><p>————<br/>
By the time Robotnik came out, there was coffee waiting for him on the table in the living room, across from his assistant. Stone looked up when he sat down, surveying his face. He looked cleaner, and his mustache, while not exactly back to normal, looked very similar to how it was before. </p><p>“I’m never taking hot water for granted again”  The Doctor muttered, picking up his coffee, taking a sip. It wasn’t his usual, sure, but it wasn’t mushrooms so it didn’t bother him much. Even so, Stone couldn’t know that. He’d get careless then, and he couldn’t have that. </p><p>“Plain coffee, Stone? Do you really have such a feeble memory that you can’t remember how to make coffee?” He challenged, leaning over the coffee table into Stone’s space. Stone shook his head rapidly, but offered no other explanation, and that really didn’t help the doctor’s temper. He reached over, grabbing Stone’s jaw and yanking his head forward. </p><p>“Stone. Open your mouth, and answer me.” He commanded, only to be met with a panicked expression. Fine then, he’d do it the hard way. </p><p>“You know I don’t like you hiding things from me, Stone.” He snapped, his fingers running up Aban’s jaw in search of the pressure points that would open his jaws. As soon as his jaws weren’t locked together Robotnik held his mouth open, using the flashlight on Stone’s phone to see inside. He went quiet for a moment.</p><p>“Stone,” he questioned, leaning back. “Quick question; where is your tongue?”</p><p>He shrugged noncommittally, looking down at the table. He couldn’t really answer the question. Robotnik cursed quietly, sliding Stone his phone back.</p><p>“Type it” he muttered, and Stone started to write. That didn’t stop Robotnik from talking though. </p><p>  “If you tell me what happened, I can probably make you a new one. Of course, not using the old one, it’s probably decomposing somewhere. Doesn’t matter though, machines are more reliable than muscle, tissue, and blood anyways. You won’t be able to tell the difference, other than the fact that you’ll never hurt yourself by biting your tongue accidentally again.” He rambled, until Stone handed him the phone. He took it, scanning over what Stone had written. </p><p>“Your superiors did this, hm? Interesting. But the lab is safe. That’ll be helpful.” He muttered under his breath, before returning to normal volume. “Your loyalty is to me, not them, correct?” He asked, and was met with a nod of agreement. Robotnik stood and clapped his hands together. </p><p>“Right. Fuck ‘em.  Pack up, we’re not coming back here.” He proclaimed. Stone seemed apprehensive, but left to get his stuff together. The doctor clearly had some sort of plan,  he didn’t need to question it. </p><p>———<br/>
Robotnik waited for Stone to pack up before directing him to load the car up. The doctor would just take one look around first. He went to the kitchen, turning the oven on and cranking up all the dials on the stove to the max. He went around, lighting any candle he found.  He took one last look around, and with a nod of satisfaction, strode out the door and into Stone’s car. He leaned the passenger seat back and rested his feet on the dash. He grinned, turning to Stone.</p><p>“To the lab, Stone. We have a lot to do.”</p>
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